The Lost Blade, The Rising Feelings
by Stealthwolf16
Summary: Zoro hears about a sword owned by a mysterious dead swordsman. He ventures off in search of it, but is accompinied by one of his crew mates, Robin. It is perhaps the start of a growing relationship.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello and welcome to my first One Piece Fanfiction! I have wanted to do this for a while now, but couldn't really gather all the thoughts together. So here is what I came up with for a story, hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 1 - Setting Out

The party at Fishman Island was filled with fishmen and mermaids all around the palace. The guests were going all out, eating the varieties of foods, dancing amongst the crowds, and singing with the music that accompanied the beautiful night passing by.

The Straw Hat Pirates were all doing their most favorable activities. The captain of the crew, Luffy, like at any other party was ready to try all the food, but mostly the meat with Jinbe. Their navigator, Nami, was betting with anybody around to see who could drink the most sake for cash. The instrumentalist, Brook, kept trying to reach the band to find out how they used their interesting looking instruments, but all attempts ended with him being dragged back to the main bubble where the crew resided by beautiful mermaids, unconsciously. The combatant chef, Sanji, enjoyed himself in bliss as he talked to the mermaids, and on occasion, threw himself into the water for them. Ussop the sniper and Chooper the doctor ate their fill of the rich and plentiful candy that was laid out for them, and in-between the servings, rehabilitated Sanji from the repetitive close calls of drowning. The swordsman, Zoro, drank the night away with Franky the cyborg, Robin the architect, and Hachi the six style swordsman.

They had managed to defeat the malice of Fishman Island and were seen as heroes to all, as they partied away. Nami slammed her jug of sake down as she licked her lips staring at her opponent, a fishman, who was on the verge of passing out.  
"I give up, take it all" said the fishman as he dropped to the ground.  
"Another fur the night" said Nami smiling as she collected the cash from the center that they had bet on.  
She had been going head to head with anyone who had the guts and cash to challenge her. Zoro had been watching her as she swept past competitors here and there.

'People are weak drinkers around here' thought Zoro as he took a swig of his drink. He turned his attention back to the story that Hachi was currently telling.  
"...And so that's why we Fishmen think its dumb how you humans discriminate on how you look to each other" said Hachi as he sat in a circle with Zoro. Across from him was Hachi, to Zoro's right was Franky, and to the left was Robin.  
"That was interesting" said Robin as she sipped some sake.  
"You got any stories about swords?" asked Zoro  
Hachi drank a cup down and grabbed for a near by bottle "Yeah, I got one that you might like" said Hachi  
He filled up his cup and then took a drink, then set it down.  
"There was once a fishman who was obsessed with wanting to cut through water, his name was Haro and the idea was kind of ridiculous at the time" said Hachi  
Zoro thought for a bit then spoke "It's not hard to do that you know"  
Hachi grinned "I don't mean like slice through it and make waves. This guy wanted to slice through it so fast, air would be able to form underwater" he drank more and then continued "You slice through the air so fast, you can send shockwaves at stuff" said Hachi  
'So not distructive power, but speed I guess' thought Zoro  
"So he gathered the best blades he could across the sea. One day he found a blade that was made of some weird mineral, stuff that was clear. With it, his attacks became far more powerful, but it still wasn't enough to move the water fast enough to make air, and so he kept trying until he died.  
Some say that he wasn't far from succeeding" said Hachi as he threw his cup aside and drank out of the bottle of sake.  
'The strongest type of blade is supposed to be the one Hawkeye has, but its color is clear not black like his' thought Zoro as he drank from a huge jug.  
"This sword, did it have a name?" asked Zoro  
"I don't know, but if you want, you can find it for yourself" said Hachi  
"What do you mean?" asked Zoro  
"Haro lived around here, but not on Fishman Island. He would train out in the sea near here. I'm sure you could find it" said Hachi  
"But wouldn't somebody already have it if it was that easy to look for it?" asked Franky  
"You have a point, but it wasn't THAT long ago when he died" said Hachi as he finished up his bottle and got another one.  
"How long ago was it?" asked Robin  
"I was trained under him when I was much younger. Its how I learned to fight using six styles" said Hachi  
"Then he must've not trained you good enough if I could beat you" said Zoro  
"I was trained under him when he was on the end of his days, so I didn't get much training. But about the sword, I was the only one who went to his home, since everyone thought him as a fool. I can tell you where you can look for it" said Hachi as he drank more.  
"Why don't you just take me there?" asked Zoro  
"I forgot where exactly it was, but I know where it kind of is" he said  
Zoro drank more as thoughts popped up in his mind 'It couldn't hurt to check it out, it might be able to give me a better edge on how to handle power like that...' he thought as he set down his jug.  
"Alright, where do I look?" asked Zoro as he stood up and cracked his head to the sides.  
"You going to start now? It's pretty late" said Hachi  
"I don't care, you gonna tell me or not?" he asked  
"Hey! Zoro! Where you going?" asked Luffy as he walked up to Zoro.  
"Just to look for a sword out in the sea" replied Zoro as he eyed his captain with meat in his hands.  
"Oh, then somebody needs to go with you. Or else we will never see you again!" said Luffy, happy as ever.  
"The hell do you mean by that! I won't get lost!" yelled Zoro at Luffy.  
"Hey Zoro, I'll go with you" said a drunk Nami with a smile.  
"I don't need anybody to go with m-"  
"Alright Nami, you take care of him" said Luffy, he was already walking off back to the food before Zoro could say anything else.  
"Luffy wait! You-" said Zoro  
"Don't worry; even if she is half-way gone, she IS the navigator. She can probably track down the place easy" said Franky grinning  
"I can do it myself!" said Zoro frustrated  
"Don't be like that! Let's go!" she said as she pointed forward.  
'Dammit, I need to shake her off, or else the cook will be more annoying if he finds out about this' thought Zoro 'Wait a second...' he thought as he remembered something.  
"Alright fine, we can go..." said Zoro as he passed by the group to grab two huge bottles of sake. He then handed one to Nami and opened the one in his hand.  
"...If you beat me in a drinking game" he said grinning  
She sat down and opened the bottle up "I'm in!" said Nami

(Later in the night)

Their competition began to attract other people's attention as it progressed. At first, only the other drinkers around them were interested, but they eventually had the entire kingdom focusing on them. Cheers were yelled around them as both Zoro and Nami slammed down their bottles at the same time.

"That makes 22 rounds!" yelled Luffy with glee, excited to find out which of his friends would come out victorious.  
"You can win Nami-swaaan!" yelled Sanji  
"Zoro! You can't lose now!" screamed Chopper  
'Shit, even though she has been doing this longer than I have, she's pulling through' thought Zoro as they both were handed their next rounds.  
"This is some of the best stuff we have, so prepare yourselves" said Jinbe with a grin  
"I will win soon ya know" said Nami smiling as she opened the next bottle.  
"I don't care what you say; sake and swords are my life! No way your gonna beat me!" said Zoro as he opened his and raised it up.  
"Readyyy!" yelled Luffy  
"Go!" yelled the crowd as they both placed their lips on the curved tops, and drank away. When they set their bottles down, they both knew in their own minds they were finished, but wouldn't admit it as they stared each other down. 'That Jinbe wasn't kidding, it's the strongest shit I've ever had I think' Zoro thought as he struggled to keep his eyes open. They both wanted to taunt the other to lose, but didn't want to risk any moves. 'That... Dick' thought Nami as she fell to the side.  
"You win Zoro!" was the last thing he heard before passing out

(...)

The Straw hats were all now in palace rooms, sleeping the night there. After the contest, they had decided to stay to rest since they couldn't navigate without Nami. They had all chosen two rooms to stay in, one for the guys and one for the gals. While the others slept, Robin was awake, thinking about how things have gone since they had finally been reunited, outside on their balcony.

'Things could have gone much better, considering we were separated in a horrible way for two years...' she shuddered as she felt the sensation, when even their fearless captain, Luffy, had decided to flea instead of fight. He NEVER ran or hid, even when everything was completely insane, he hadn't run from opponents until that fateful day. 'But it did help us all gain experience that we might not have, had we stuck together' she thought, looking into the sky. Each member of the crew had gotten stronger because of their individual training for 2 years. 'I'm glad that we are all better now, together again...' she heard a door open from outside and turned to the entrance of their room. The door closed silently from outside, and then she heard steps going down the hallway. 'One of us are up...' she thought as she slowly made her way to the door, and then opened it. She was able to get a moment to see that Zoro had awoken and was walking down stairs. 'How is he up? That much sake should keep him down for at least until tomorrow' she thought at first, but then giggled to herself 'He's still a good drinker, I guess he trained his mind in that way aswell' thought Robin 'But what is he doing at a time like this? I need to at least make sure he doesn't get lost' she exited the room and shut the door slowly and made her way to where she last saw Zoro

(...)

The swordsman had woken up to find Luffy sprawled out on top of him with the other guys around him, asleep. He had shoved Luffy off him and left his room, in search of the hideout. 'I remember beating the witch in the game, so now I can go without her for the sword. If Luffy or the others wake up, they'll stick me with somebody to make sure I don't get lost' he thought as he made his way around the palace. He eventually made it to a wall of water in his way "O yeah, we're still under the sea, how am I gonna get out..." he said, pondering to himself  
"Hello Zoro, how's your night going?"  
He turned to see Robin standing there, in a black nightgown with a smile on her face.  
"I'm fine, you?" he asked wearing his usual green coat.  
"I'm good. What are you doing out this late?" asked Robin  
"I want to look for the sword, but I can't since I don't have a bubble thing" said Zoro bluntly  
"You mean this?" she asked as she pulled out a coral piece from her side.  
Zoro reached for the coral, but Robin stepped back, smirking "Not even going to ask for it?" she asked, holding it behind her.  
Zoro sighed 'Not going to be easy with me, huh' "What do you want?" he asked  
"To go with you" Robin said  
Zoro frowned "And why's that?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms. 'There shouldn't be a reason why she would want to... Wait...' he thought  
"I wouldn't want to lose a crewmate in the vast sea" she said, leaning to the side. 'Yeah, I thought so' Zoro thought  
"I can take care of myself" said Zoro  
"Then you can find your own coral piece" said Robin as she turned and began to walk away, a smirk on her face as she waited for him to say something. She had already anticipated that he wouldn't allow her to help him, so she decided that she would try to offer him help, and then act like it was only an offer and nothing more. In reality, she had felt a new bond with the whole straw hat crew, ever since the whole water 7 incident, and knew she wouldn't get any sleep worrying about him. 'He should do it right about...' thought Robin as she made it to the end of hallway.  
"Wait!" said Zoro  
She turned to see him looking to the side, slightly embarrassed "Fine, let's go" he said from afar.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I just want to mention that the only reason this chapter is posted this recently is because I have had a LOT of free time. I will show chapters within a week, but they may also show up before that time limit is up. Just don't expect to get chapters every day or every other day. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 2 – Finding Things Out

"Are you sure it's this way?" asked Robin  
"Yeah, it's definitely this way" replied Zoro  
They had exited Fishman Island a while ago, and were riding the kraken that had helped them in the battle with Hody Jones. They were in a large bubble atop its head as Zoro commanded it north; having no idea in reality where in the sea they were going. He had only heard from Hachi that the hideout was near Fishman Island, Zoro never really got any point of direction as to where it was. Robin had found that out after the first few minutes of departure, since he didn't hide the uncertainty in his voice then. But she had decided to play along with him to see if he could actually find it, since it was obvious anyways that he wouldn't admit the fact that they were searching aimlessly. 'I suppose some small talk couldn't hurt' thought Robin  
"So swordsman, how have you been these last years?" asked Robin  
Zoro pondered for an answer to reply with "This is a weird time to talk about that sort of thing" he said, looking into the dark, vast, sea.  
"If I asked you when others were around, you would probably hide all the details about your accomplishments" she said as she looked at him  
"What makes you think that?" he replied looking back to her  
"Well..." she said as she turned her sights back to the sea "You hid the fact that you took all the pain from Luffy back in Thriller bark" said Robin with a smirk.  
Zoro's jaw tightened "And just who might have told you that?" Zoro asked, averting his eyes from her  
"I found a way" said Robin, feeling she want to see his face, but she knew taunting would only annoy him.  
"What happened back then...Doesn't matter" said Zoro quietly, as if he was telling a secret.  
Robin frowned "You don't have to be that selfless for your captain" said Robin, not liking the way he hates praise.  
"It was a miracle that the warlord left us, we leave it at that" said Zoro, sitting down and looking to the dark sky.  
Robin sighed, but then thought of a response "Okay, but just know that you caused that miracle" she said grinning  
Zoro's mouth opened to tell her off, but then decided to leave it at that 'I might as well show some thanks for the bubble' he thought.  
"Still, what HAVE you been doing for the last two years?" asked Robin  
He sighed "I was trained under Dracule Mihawk in that time" he said  
Robin looked over to him, shocked. "The Warlord known as the greatest swordsman in the world?" she asked  
"Is it really that much of a surprise?" he replied, not really caring about it.  
"He's an under the radar type of pirate, nobody has ever been able to track him down" she said "he goes wherever he wants and is very dangerous" she ended her statement with.  
Zoro was now the one surprised "How do you know allot about him?" he asked  
She smirked "For the two years we were separated, I was trained under the Revolutionary army" said Robin  
He looked over to her "So I take it you met Luffy's dad?" asked Zoro  
"Yes" she said looking back to the ocean "He was very kind"  
Zoro snorted "I would expect that much from our captain's father. Luffy has always been naive, I bet his father was practically a clueless old man" said Zoro  
Robin scrunched her brows "He wasn't that similar to him, he just felt..." she pondered for a word to describe Dragon.  
"Dependable?" Zoro said, finishing her sentence  
She smiled "Exactly"  
"I see" said Zoro  
'Apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess' he thought  
Zoro turned his attention to their surroundings and noticed the water was getting very dark. They had strayed from Fishman Island for a while now. 'Where is this thing...' he thought  
"We should go back to the island and comb through another part" said Robin  
Zoro looked to her and nodded "Kraken, turn around" said Zoro  
As told, the giant creature began to circulate and face back towards to where they came from. The Kraken had only traveled a small amount of ground, when light suddenly shined from a crack below them. Zoro didn't notice it, but Robin did. As soon as they were much nearer to it she mentioned it.  
"Zoro, do you see that?" she asked  
He looked over to Robin to see her staring down. He saw the crack of light and trained his eyes on it.  
"Let's check it out" he said as he stood.  
The Kraken stopped as Robin stood aswell. She took out her coral piece and made a bubble for them to share. They exited the main bubble and entered the smaller one together.  
"You could have made one for me too" said Zoro  
"I wouldn't want you wandering off" said Robin smiling as they both stepped off the Kraken and made their way to the light.  
When they were above the small crack, Robin crouched to try and see what was illuminating below.  
"Seems like a cave..." she said  
"Is it safe to cut through?" asked Zoro  
She looked to the sides of the crack and then nodded before she got up and stepped back.  
Zoro stood at the edge of their bubble as he drew his sword out at an unseeable speed. He swung it back into the sheath; the crack broke into a big opening in the ground.  
He looked over to Robin and saw her staring at his sword "Robin?" he asked.  
Robin noticed herself staring too, and then shook her head "Don't worry about it. Let's go" she said, walking to his side. 'What's up with her' he thought as they both dropped down to the now seeable cave. Zoro looked to find the light source and saw a lamp had been lit, it hung to the far side of the cave.  
"Let's go over there" he said, walking with Robin to it. When they were only a few feet away from it, they felt their bubble pop and air all around them.  
They looked behind themselves and saw that they were in a room separated from water.  
"So that's how it was lit" said Zoro as  
Robin walked to the lamp and checked the candle inside.  
"It hasn't been on for too long" she said "the wax hasn't melted much, so that means..."  
"Somebody's nearby" Zoro said as he looked around. He noticed a hallway to their left, and tapped her shoulder.  
She turned and Zoro spoke "There's more to see" he said, pointing to it.  
"Ok, hold on" she took the lamp and followed Zoro through the hallway. There were inscriptions on the wall of people with swords as they walked down it. Robin studied the walls and saw there were also numbers on them, and they slowly ascended as they continued. Zoro noticed them too, the numbers rose as high as to the thousands.  
"Do you think this is the right place?" Robin asked  
"I don't know...maybe" he said, looking ahead.  
The hall ended in a room that was small and well lit. In the center was a bed that was small and nothing else in the room other than lamps on either side of the walls. The scriptures ended there aswell, with numbers near the 2,000s. They both moved to opposite sides of the bed and looked at the wall's scriptures.  
"Each one of these pictures has a person in a unique position" said Robin  
"I also noticed that there were different swords on them" said Zoro  
"Well MAYBE some people like swords"  
Zoro and Robin positioned themselves in fighting stances, looking around the room.  
"Show your self" said Zoro  
Silence followed as they scanned the entrance of the hallway and the room.  
But then it broke  
"Down here, you dolts"  
Zoro and Robin looked to the bed and saw that an old woman laid there. She looked short, and very old with glasses on.  
"How long have you been here?" Robin asked  
The old woman wore a frown on her face as she got out of the bed. Zoro watched her movements incase of an attack.  
"I'd like to know what you both are doing here" said the old woman, standing infront of the bed.  
"We came here for the sword that belonged to a fishman. His name was..." said Zoro as he tried to remember what Hachi had said  
"Haro" said Robin, finishing Zoro's sentence  
The old woman's face showed recognition as Robin said the name "O... So you want the glass sword?" asked the woman  
"Just checking it out" said Zoro  
"The sword isn't here, Haro hid it after he found out what it was" said the woman with a smile.  
He frowned "And what was it?"  
The woman lifted the mattress of the bed and picked up a paper that was folded up beneath it. She then sat down and placed the paper beside her.  
"What I want to know is who told you about Haro" said the lady as she looked to the hallway.  
"It was Hachi" said Robin  
"Ahhh, so it was the last one..." said the lady  
Zoro sighed "Well, if it's not even here, we might as well leave" he said as he began walking to the entrance of the hallway.  
"Before you go, do you know the names Uma Flond and Dracule Mihawk?" she asked  
Zoro stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide open. He turned to her and saw her smiling still.  
"Yes. Why" Zoro said, focused  
"You see, Haro had three students when he was still alive. The first was a woman named Uma, the second a man named Dracule, and the last for about a month was the fishman Hachi" she said


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I swear I'm never this fast in doing anything (I hope to say that in a different situation) and I don't mean to bombard you readers with this speed of posted chapters. I am usually a slow writer and it takes FOREVER for me to pick up the pen and think of what is to happen next. But with the continuous praise and the rapid ideas coming to my mind, I can't help it. I do not expect the chapters to keep flowing like this for much longer. But anyways, enjoy chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 3 - A Good Laugh

Zoro was amazed to have found out Hawkeye's master was once this fishman named Haro.  
"I see I have caught your attention" said the lady "before I say anything else, let me properly introduce myself. I am Yenma and was a friend of Haro"  
"So you said that he hid the sword. Do you know where?" asked Zoro  
She closed her eyes and spoke "If you want the sword, you'll have to listen to what I have to say"  
Zoro had more thoughts flow into his mind and after a long pause; he decided to hear her out after some reasoning. He walked to the corner of the room facing her and sat down. Robin went to the other corner and sat aswell.  
"How are those little youngsters? I haven't seen them in years..." she asked  
"Dracule is now one of the seven warlords of the sea, but I haven't heard of an Uma Flond before. Have you Zoro?" asked Robin  
"Never heard of her" said Zoro  
Yenma sighed "I guess only the two boys were able to be widely known" she looked up to Zoro and noticed his swords. "Is that the Wado Ichimonji?" asked Yenma  
Zoro tensed at the mention of the sword's name. It was the only thing that he received after his childhood rival died, other than the promise to become the greatest swordsman.  
"Yeah, what of it?" he asked  
She looked up to the ceiling "Nothing to special, I just know all the well known swords"  
"Besides that, did you notice the pictures on the walls as you made your way here?" Yenma asked  
"Yes, we noticed them all showing different ways to hold a variety of swords. And there was numbers under each one" said Robin  
"That's the way Haro kept track of which sword techniques would work the quickest" she replied  
"You mean that guy used ALL these styles?" asked Zoro as he looked around the walls.  
"Yes. He started developing stances based on how swords suited him" she said "His goal was to one day lash out a strike of a sword so fast, so greatly, that air would be able to form from the space created. Cutting water from space to make air was no easy task however. He went to where the ships laid abandoned and searched for swords everyday. And everyday, he would perfect the use of one sword and then carve out the stance in the wall. As he trained I came along and saw his work. I decided to help the fool since I felt like he could actually do it eventually. I studied movement use and all the best swords so that I could help him statistically and inform him of how they were originally used. We worked for nearly a year when two pirates showed up one day as we were training. It was THEN that I met the two youthful pirates, Uma and Dracule" she paused to look at the hallway and then continued. "Haro saw potential in them so he challenged them in duels" Yenma laughed as she continued "Haro easily defeated them though; the two were dumbfounded of how skilled he was and asked Haro to train them. So then for 6 months he trained them, putting aside his personal goal to help them. They became quite well in swordsmanship and gave their thanks and gratitude before they set off for the New World" She sighed then, turning to a lower tone.

"We continued our work. Looking for swords and testing their temper. It wasn't long before he began to feel his age catch up to him. One day however, we discovered some strange box that was clearly important, since it was completely locked up. Chains were wrapped around the box, and it lay in the middle of the sea, like somebody had never wanted to see it again. We opened it though, and what we found was the glass sword" Yenma looked to her palms in her lap. "When you lifted it, you felt the malice of a demon" she said as she looked to the paper beside her. "I researched it, and found that it was some kind of cursed sword. Haro tested its temper, and when he swung that blade" she stopped in mid sentence  
"What happened?" asked Robin  
Yenma took a deep breath and then continued "He became a different person. The strike was powerful; it threw water at incredible speeds, throwing rubble and mounds of things into a vortex through the vast sea. But he nearly became obsessed with it. He wouldn't let go of it, wanting to tear things apart with it. Due to his age though, I was able to take it from him" she paused "He felt terrible when he came to his senses, so he ventured off to the surface to find a place to hide it...it was a long time before he came back. When he did, he said on this paper was a map to the location of the sword. And on that day, Hachi came along, wanting to learn to use swords. As Haro's last act, he taught him to use the best swords we had, and also told him about the glass sword" ended Yenma  
"So you're saying it would be best if we forget about it?" asked Robin  
"In a sense" said Yenma  
'That sword, I have to test its caliber...' thought Zoro as he remembered he still couldn't defeat Hawkeye. 'Since my goal is to defeat him, I need to know how powerful his own master was' thought Zoro. He reached the conclusion that he would find this glass sword no matter what.  
"I see the look in your eyes. The eyes of determination..." said Yenma, bringing Zoro back to reality.  
"You can have it, if you want" she said, picking it up and holding out the map to him.  
Zoro gave her a questioning look "Isn't it something even Haro couldn't control? Why are you being so easy on me?" asked Zoro  
She smiled as looked to the paper "I am near my time aswell; it would be a waste to lose such a powerful sword to time. You also remind me of that Dracule" said Yenma  
Zoro smirked as he stood "He was my master" said Zoro as he took the map.  
"Good luck to you" she said as she descended to rest on the bed.  
"You're staying here?" asked Robin as she stood  
"I came here to visit the old place, I'll leave as soon as I get hungry" replied Yenma  
Zoro made his way to the entrance and looked back to Yenma "Thanks for the map" he said  
Robin followed him as they both exited out the hallway and back to the sea.  
"I hope your teachings were passed on, Haro" said old woman as she lay there quietly.

(...)

Zoro and Robin traveled back to the palace and as soon as they were in the hallway, their captain barged out the guy's room. "ZORO!" yelled Luffy at the top of his lungs. "I swear I tied you up with my legs and arms before going to bed" he said looking around. He saw at the end of the hallway was not only Zoro, but Robin aswell.  
"O good, thanks Robin for taking care of Zoro!" he said, clearly relieved  
"You dumbass I can take care of myself!" retorted Zoro  
"My pleasure captain. By the way..." she said looking to Zoro as they walked up to Luffy.  
"May we have permission to go on a little treasure hunt?" asked Robin  
Zoro was caught off guard by her sudden change of subject "What do you mean ~we-?" asked Zoro  
"You can't go looking for it on your own after all" said Robin, looking back to Luffy.  
The Gum-Gum user had a frown on his face, thinking about it for a moment "We can think about that later! Let's eat first! SANJI! FOOD!" yelled Luffy  
Sanji kicked the door open and exited their room as soon as Luffy yelled "Chill out ok? I'll get the food ready soon as I check up on-" Sanji saw Robin and immediately slid his way to her "Robin! Good morning! How was your night?" he asked  
Robin smiled "I had a nice trip with Zoro to an old cave" she replied  
Zoro felt the cook's eyes on him in a flash. 'I knew this was going to happen' he thought  
"Did you try anything funny moss head?" asked Sanji as he made his way infront of Zoro.  
"I don't need to answer to you nosebleed" replied Zoro  
"I asked you if you hurt Robin, you sad excuse for a gentleman" said Sanji  
Zoro grew annoyed "I don't care what you ask or want. We just went out together in the middle of the night. You got a problem with it?" asked Zoro  
Robin felt her face grow a little red after the way Zoro phrased their night, but then regained composure 'He's just saying it plainly' she thought  
Sanji turned to her, not noticing her retaining herself "Robin, you alright?" he asked  
She smiled to him again "Yes, our night mostly involved the two of us alone" she said  
Zoro this time grew red and couldn't believe she just said that. Sanji looked over to Zoro and saw him red "Hey! Why're you blushing? You hiding some dirty thoughts in there or are you remembering last night?" asked Sanji  
"ALRIGHT, WE GET IT, ZORO AND ROBIN WENT TO AN OLD CAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ALONE!" yelled Luffy annoyed  
The three were dumbfounded that Luffy had just announced the late night venture, as if it was a day to day thing.  
Zoro and Robin were clearly blushing now and Sanji was now mad at Luffy.  
"We don't know if that's true you idiot" said Sanji  
"I'M STILL HUNGRY! YOU GUYS ARE TAKING FOREVER!" yelled Luffy  
Zoro and Robin stared as Sanji knocked Luffy to the ground with a kick, and telling him to knock it off.  
"I knew there would be some reaction from our absence, but didn't think of this" said Robin  
"This was exactly what I was expecting" said Zoro, not sounding surprised in the least.

(...)

The whole straw hat crew was now in the guy's room, preparing for the breakfast that Sanji was starting up. However, the entire crew had heard Luffy's scream and were giving Zoro and Robin looks of curiosity. Snickers and coughs of barely contained laughs could be heard as Zoro sat on the far side of the table and Robin on the other end. Both of them were blushing, not wanting to give their friends something to laugh about and also not wanting to give them unintended signals of their relationship. They stared straight down at their plates as Nami was pressuring Robin to talk, and Franky jesting to Zoro of what an interesting night they must have had together.

(Robin's group)

"Come on Robin, SOMETHING must have happened, right?" asked Nami grinning  
Robin had always wanted to be involved in gossips and drama concerning herself, or something that gave her the chills that everyone had said they felt when talking about certain subjects. But this was not how she had imagined it would play out. She couldn't contain her blush now aswell, it practically felt like her face was red as tomatoes. But what surprised her the most was that she was having trouble responding to Nami 'I'm feeling nervous over nothing, we just went together as friends...but then, why is HE nervous aswell?' thought Robin as she heard the low whispers from Zoro's group.  
"Robin, are you and Zoro ok?" asked Chopper. Robin didn't respond to the innocent little reindeer either, she was trying to listen in on what Zoro and the others were saying.

(Zoro's group)

'I can't believe Luffy dragged me into this. He needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut' he thought as Franky asked questions, with Ussop behind Zoro with a doctor's heartbeat sensor. Franky had instructed Ussop to feel his heartbeat to see when it rose or sunk when he said things. He had Brook stare into his eyes to see if anything affected him there.  
"Were there any drinks? Food? Any sort consumable stuff?" asked Franky  
Zoro grew angrier by the second. He had truly never wanted to be the center of attention. Others might, but Zoro would rather spend 8 hours training himself to the brink of death than sit and talk about girls for 8 seconds. 'If I react to literally any of this, they'll make some stupid story off of one clue' he thought as Franky asked questions about where they went, but he kept his cool.  
Except for the blush on himself.  
"Hm...We aren't getting anything out of him" said Franky as he activated his tiny hand and rubbed his chin.  
"Did you see any special articles of clothing? Perhaps..." said Brook  
"Stop. Just stop" said Ussop from behind.  
"Maybe we should take that approach now" said Franky smiling  
He retracted his hand and slowly moved back "We WILL make you talk. Roronora Zoro" said Franky  
"I see his eyes getting hard" said Brook  
"Good, now Zoro..." he said looking to the ceiling. The three were quiet, on edge, waiting for Franky to speak. The air felt hot to Zoro, since he knew this was probably wasn't one he could stay quiet to.  
"Was there a bed" said Franky  
Zoro bit the inside of his lip and kept his eyes on the bones of Brook. He knew it to be true.  
But it was too late.  
"It's going faster!" said Ussop  
"He got really hard all of a sudden" said Brook  
The comments that came out of them broke him, they were just too dirty. He stood up, breaking the circle around him "YES, there was a bed, so what?" he yelled  
Both groups bursted into laughter as Luffy pointed at Zoro, he and Robin blushed, and Sanji leaned his head against the wall, clearly saddened.

AN: After I finished proof reading this, I noticed the end can sound like an ending of a story. It is not though, I will continue until I say so. Anyways, have a good one!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Here I come again with another chapter. This one's bigger than the others and the reason why is because I mixed two chapters together (Genius). Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 4 - Onwards

The laughter lasted for a while until Sanji began placing the food down for each of the crew members. When they settled down, Robin and Zoro were able to completely explain what had happened overnight before they all could draw up their own conclusions.  
"Ahh, so you both found out about a sword map" said Ussop  
"What a relief" said Brook "I thought we would one day have a child to care for" he said  
Zoro glared at Brook for his idiotic thought. Sanji was showing relief after the entire story was told 'He's still is single like me. I WILL get a girlfriend before moss head' thought Sanji  
"I honestly would have been happy for you two" said Nami "We would have thrown a SUPER-wedding for you guys" said Franky  
Robin's interest piqued at the mention of wedding 'Will I get married one day?' she asked herself  
"I thought you two were sick. But I guess you guys were just in love" said Chopper, having no idea how it affected Sanji and the others.  
"So you guys want to go alone for treasure because you're in love?" asked Luffy  
Zoro brought his hand to his head and massaged the sides of it. 'O captain my captain...' thought Zoro as he circulated his fingers. Robin smiled at how childish Luffy still was.  
"We want to go alone so that we won't be a bother to the rest of you" said Robin  
"You won't be! Right Luffy?" asked Sanji pleadingly  
"I don't know captain...they want to do it alone...maybe we should let them" suggested Franky  
Sanji looked over Franky "He doesn't need your opinion!" said Sanji  
"Captain, I think so too" said Nami  
Sanji felt his hopes drop. 'Even Nami is into this' he thought  
Luffy pondered at the thought of his friends going on an adventure. He hummed outwardly and looked to Zoro, and then Robin.  
"How are you guys going to find the treasure?" asked Luffy  
The entire crew froze. All of them wide-eyed, unmoving. They all kept their postures still as rocks, confusing Luffy.  
"What happened?" he asked  
Ussop turned his head to Luffy and then spoke "Where is Luffy" he said  
"I'm right here" said Luffy, not getting what was going on.  
"No way that's him...our captain doesn't have common sense" said Sanji  
"Hold him down!" yelled Franky as they all jumped him, slamming him to the ground. They all pinned him in their own significant ways, ensuring that escape was not possible.  
"Guys what are you-" Luffy was cut off as Zoro placed one of his blades to his neck.  
"If your Luffy answer this" said Zoro  
"How did you tell us to wait for two years?" he asked  
The rest nodded, agreeing that to be the question he had to correctly answer to prove his identity. Luffy struggled to pull his arm away from Chopper and then pointed to his right shoulder.  
"I crossed out three days and put two years here!" he said  
"He's clear!" said Nami as they all released him.  
"You guys are crazy! You did that because I asked a question?" asked Luffy  
"Sorry captain" they all replied  
They all took their seats and then continued to eat. Luffy finished his breakfast angrily as the rest of the crew hung their heads. He munched on the last piece of his bacon and then stood up.  
"Zoro" said Luffy  
He looked to him, not knowing what to expect from their leader. He was already unpredictable when he was cheerful and happy as could be, but now he was known as -Mad Luffy.-  
And when Luffy was mad, he would usually be so in battle, but the crew has never seen him get angry at one of his crewmates, much less punish them.  
"How are you going to find the treasure?" asked Luffy  
Zoro pulled out the old map folded up that contained the location of the glass sword.  
Luffy hummed as he thought more.  
"Ok, what is the paper?" asked Luffy  
The entire crew sighed; they relaxed knowing that Luffy was his normal, naive self. If he couldn't figure out what a map looked like, then he wasn't entirely focused on the matter.  
Zoro sighed "A map to it" said Zoro  
Luffy thought more, moving from his spot to Zoro. When he reached Zoro he snatched the map from him. Zoro was about to say something, but Luffy stopped him.  
"I'll give it back in a second" said Luffy  
He walked over to Nami and handed it to her "How far is it?" asked Luffy  
Nami opened the map and then looked it over. She placed her finger on certain spots and then smiled. "It's not far, about one day of sailing away after surfacing into the New World" she said  
Luffy smiled and then picked up the map. He then folded it back up and shoved it into his pocket  
"I lied Zoro, you don't get it yet" said Luffy  
Zoro frowned "What are you thinking about?" he asked  
Luffy laughed and then turned to the door "Let's go to the New World!" said Luffy as he walked out.

(...)

The Sunny swayed back and forth as the waves of the New World moved it about, free as the pirates aboard. The crew had left Fishman Island and said their goodbyes and had just surfaced into the new seas that lay ahead of them. All of them were doing there own things, using up the peaceful time they had. The first thing that Luffy had done was order them to anchor down as soon as they found some land. Nami, Brook, Ussop, Sanji and Franky were all keeping lookout for land.  
Zoro, Chopper, Robin and Luffy were either napping or doing their own thing.  
"Land-ho!" called Ussop  
Luffy awoke from his nap in the grass and stretched out his limbs.  
"Head there" said Luffy as he stood.  
They eventually made it to a small island that looked like it had a well developed town. They anchored as told of their captain and then looked for him.  
"Everyone! Come here" said Luffy from the head of the Sunny.  
They all gathered around to their captain, having no idea what he was planning.  
"Ok, Zoro. Do you still want the sword?" asked Luffy  
'What's he up to...' thought Zoro  
"Yes" he replied  
Luffy grinned "If you want to go, you need to do three things" said Luffy  
The rest of the crew smiled and looked to Zoro. They now knew what angle Luffy was thinking from. He wanted Zoro to play games with him so that he would have to earn his map back.  
"Since you almost cut me, and you want the sword, you have to first say you're sorry" said Luffy  
Zoro smirked at how Luffy thought, while some of the others threw boos at Luffy's weak trials.  
"Give him something hard!" said Sanji  
"Make him do funny tricks Luffy!" said Ussop  
Zoro stepped forward and then spoke "I'm sorry Luffy for almost cutting you"  
Luffy gave an approving nod and then thought more. When he finished thinking, he grinned again. "Ussop! Come here, I need something" said Luffy  
Ussop walked over to Luffy confused. He whispered into the sniper's ear and then Ussop laughed out loud.  
"Is it that good?" asked Nami  
Ussop didn't answer as he rushed passed them and ran to the inside of the ship.  
"Everyone stay here. Don't move" said Luffy  
They all waited for only a minute before Ussop came back, holding out his bag to his chest. He made his way to Luffy and then opened the bag, showing him what was inside.  
"Those will do" said Luffy  
'Now what' Zoro thought as Ussop handed him the item. Luffy hid it behind his back, not presenting it yet.  
"Ok, everyone close your eyes" said Luffy  
They all sighed and then complied. Luffy walked slowly towards them, holding in his laughter.  
"If anybody peeks they have to do ten things for me" said Luffy  
The ones, who were, immediately shut their eyes as Luffy continued walking very slowly. Zoro felt Luffy grab him and lock something on his left wrist. It was cold and hard, like metal. He then heard another click from somewhere else 'What is this' he thought  
"Open your eyes!" exclaimed Luffy  
Zoro looked to his wrist and saw that he was chained. He looked up to where it led and saw the other end...  
Locked onto Robin's right wrist.  
The crew noticed and they all laughed at the two, amazed at Luffy's cleverness. Robin focused on the chains and noticed there was two key holes. One on Zoro's lock, and one on her's. They were now handcuffed until they found the keys.  
"Luffy! Was this necessary? How am I going to fight?" Zoro asked  
Luffy only grinned "Second thing is you can never break the chain until you have the sword!" said Luffy as he held both Zoro's and Robin's keys with his fingers. Luffy then threw them overboard, into the deep, blue, sea. Zoro was about to dive for them, but remembered that Robin was weak to the sea since she had devil fruit powers. He scoffed, already annoyed by the limitations of the chain.  
"I'm sorry Zoro" said Robin, noticing the sudden changes that he would have to get used to.  
"It's fine. We'll have to just make due" he said as he turned back to Luffy.  
The captain noticed the rest aswell were turning their attention back to him and remembered that there was one more thing Zoro had to do.  
"Hmm...What to do..." said Luffy as he sat down to think more.  
The rest waited for what Luffy had in store, not really thinking that he could come up with anything better. He hummed more and more, staring into the sky and laying back onto the floor.  
"O! I got one!" said Luffy as he sat up.  
He jumped up to stand and walked to Brook. He whispered into his ear and then Brook laughed.  
"Yohohohoho! That is quite the idea!" he said  
Brook then walked to the edge of the boat, facing away from the group. He pulled out a transponder snail and talked for a while. When he was done he turned around and walked to Luffy. He then told Luffy something and then Luffy nodded.  
"Zoro, since it's a sword your after, we will stay here until you get it. But we need money to get meat while we wait for you, so you have to get a hundred and twenty million berries before you get back on the ship" said Luffy  
Nami squealed at the amount and then rushed to Luffy's side "Captain's orders Zoro!" said Nami excitedly  
The others were surprised at the sudden cost to enter the ship "Why that exact amount?" asked Chopper  
"That's was the bounty on Zoro before we all got separated" said Brook  
The others then realized how the numbers were chosen and then looked over to the now locked together pirates.  
Zoro scowled at them all, hating the situation he was now in 'I now HAVE to get the sword to get free, and get a lot of cash' he thought  
Luffy then pulled out the map and handed it to Zoro.  
"Thanks captain" said Zoro as he snatched it from him.  
He looked to Robin and into her eyes "I should be the one apologizing by the way" he said before he walked forward with Robin following suit.  
When they jumped off the ship to the port, they looked around the area. "Do you think people will suspect us as runaway slaves?" asked Robin  
They walked as their conversation continued "Who knows. Probably" he replied  
"O yeah! If you do break the cuffs, then you have to do 5 things each for me!" called Luffy  
'Perfect' thought Zoro and Robin synchronized  
"Good luck you two!" called the straw hat crew as Zoro and Robin walked towards the town.

(...)

Zoro had not really planned that this would be how he would have to look for the sword of Haro. He had thought maybe Luffy would want all of them to venture for it. Or maybe his captain couldn't care less about the map and sword. Instead, he was now locked with Robin on a chain and he not only that, but he had to collect a lot of a cash AND the sword.  
"We need to hide this" said Zoro as he lifted up his wrist "Or else it will cause us more trouble as we get closer to marines" he let his hand fall to his side as they entered the town.  
"Covering it up shouldn't be hard. It looks about only three feet long, maybe some gloves?" asked Robin  
He looked around the streets for a place to talk more secluded and saw a clothing store not too far. He tugged on the chain and Robin turned to him. He indicated with his head to the store and then she nodded. They walked into the store and made their way to the back.  
Robin found the accessories section and tried out different things to try and disguise the cuffs. There was variety of gloves and things to try on and they searched for ones that would hide and fit over the cuffs. Zoro wasn't too interested in what they had to wear, but Robin felt it like another trip with Zoro, only shopping this time.  
"These might do" said Robin as she picked out a pair that was big, but slender. They were gray with big edges on the openings. They were soft to the touch and not too flashy.  
"Let's put them on" said Zoro as he grabbed a pair for himself, and Robin dressed her hands with the ones she had. As soon as they had them on, somebody popped up from the side.  
"Everything ok back here?" asked an employee  
Robin immediately grabbed Zoro's hand and hid the chain in the middle of their palms.  
"Yes, we found these and would like to buy them" said Robin coolly.  
Zoro was caught off guard, not really thinking he should be aware of their surroundings. He looked to their now enter twined hands and felt the chain in-between them.  
"O, those look nice on you two" said the guy "Come back over here and I'll check those out for you love birds" he finished with  
"We'll be there in a moment" said Robin  
The employee nodded and then left the two there alone.  
"Being a couple could be a good disguise" said Robin grinning  
Zoro pondered more of the thought of pretending to be a couple with Robin.  
"You aren't wrong, but we are straw hat pirates. If they see us, couple of not, the marines will chase us" he said looking to the side.  
He saw a variety of other things they could wear on a shelf and then smiled.  
"But there are plenty of stuff to use" he said, picking up things and trying them on.

(...)

Now that Zoro felt like there was an actual purpose to shop, they went around the town, looking for disguises to wear. There was the occasional time when Robin wanted to try on clothes in dressing rooms, and have Zoro wait awkwardly beside the stalls like some creep. He only had her wait once to put on the clothes that he was actually going to wear. They also decided to localize themselves so that they didn't seem suspicious while they shopped. They ate at stands and talked more in detail of how the two years went. The end results of both of their shopping's were like this.  
Zoro now wore a backwards blue cap on his head to hid his noticeably green hair. He changed from his open green coat to a black shirt with gray trims. He still had the gloves on to hide the cuffs on him and Robin. He wore dark blue slacks that nearly sagged, but he also wore a tie-up band around his waist. He lastly wore plain blue sneakers that didn't have laces.  
Robin wore a hair band to hold up her hair into a pony tail. She wore a green shirt and a small white vest cutting off at her mid-rift. She wore gray jeans that stuck to her noticeable curves and ended barely under her knees. She lastly wore white shoes that had a bit of a high heel boost at the bottom of her ankles. The disguises hid most of their noticeable features in the wanted posters.  
Except for Zoro's swords that still hung to his side.  
"I still think you should hold those on your back" said Robin as she stared to his blades.  
Zoro paid no attention to her suggestions, not really seeing the problem.  
"We can still buy a few more things..." she hinted to him  
"Actually, I think you used up all your money" he replied smirking  
She smiled and leaned into his side "Remember we are a ~couple~. So that means you have to share what you have with me" she said as Zoro blushed  
He felt more than just her weight on him as they walked down the streets towards the docks.  
"I know that, but we still need a boat to set out to sea" he said looking away from her  
"How thoughtful of you" she said, as she continued to lean on him.  
'This woman...' thought Zoro  
They reached the open sea and looked around for a place to get a boat. They saw the Sunny from far away to their right.  
They turned left without a word.  
As the waves hit against the support of the port, they walked across in hand in hand. Robin looked to the seas as they walked, thinking about other experiences.  
"Zoro?" said Robin in a questioning tone.  
He looked over to her, expecting for something to do. His senses didn't detect anything however, so he looked to her, and saw that she had a thoughtful look on her face.  
"What's up?" he asked  
She stopped, standing towards the sea. The wind blew past them, a slow breeze, cooling the moment for the both of them. He looked to their hands, gloved and chained. 'She isn't the worst person to be stuck with...' he thought as he waited for her to do something.  
"I know this may be a sudden change of pace...but" she turned to him, looking to his eyes "What's it like to swim?" she asked  
Zoro wore a confused face, not understanding why she would ask something like that.  
"Do you not remember?" he asked  
She smiled to him "I'm a devil fruit user. Do you remember that?" she asked  
He realized what she meant then. He felt a little pity at the moment, but then forced it away. He was a man of honor, and knew that pity was only for the weak. And she wasn't the least bit weak.  
"I ate one when I was still young, so it's been so long since I've done so..." she said looking back to the waves. "It was one of my favorite things to do while I was alone, and sometimes I wish I could do it again" she said as she stared down, the waters flapping with the wind.  
"It feels heavy" he said  
She looked to him and saw him staring down aswell.  
"When you enter the sea, it's always cold at first. And you feel the wetness crawl all over you" he said as he looked up to her "Then it slowly feels warm, and the water feels heavy...but..." he looked to their hands and smiled. She looked to their hands aswell, waiting for him to continue.  
"It eventually feels natural" he said as he pulled her with his hand and led the way.  
Robin felt a feeling that she had felt when the crew had saved her from Enies lobby come back to her, only more intament and centered on a certain somebody. The feeling that she belonged there.  
"Yeah" she said as she squeezed his hand.  
"I think I know the feeling" said Robin

AN: And now we have reached to the point where I was inspired to write this fanfic. I had imagined this moment without any reason why Zoro and Robin were together and alone, but now there is some plot mixed in. What will happen next time?  
I haven't the slightest clue.  
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: In chapter five I let it the size go back down because I was lazy. If you like long chapters, please find a way to let me know. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 5 - Getting Warmer

"Zoro, can I just see the map?" asked Robin, feeling herself reaching the point of irritation.  
"I'm telling you, it's this way" he said, not really having confidence behind his voice as he looked to the seas.  
She huffed as he continued to refuse help from her "Zoro, we're literally heading back to the docks" she said  
He looked up to see that they were in fact, going back to where they started.  
They had bought a boat with the rest of Zoro's money, and it held most of their needs. It had a room about the size of a garage shed and the wheel was above there. They had a sail that could be manned by one person and railings on the ends of the boat.  
"Please Zoro, it's not a big deal to not be a good navigator" she said  
He growled as he handed her the map "I just hate depending on people on something so simple" he said  
She smiled as she twisted the map upward and began studying the path "Think of it as trade for having such great sword skills. You may not be the best in directions, but you will become the greatest swordsman one day" she said  
He then grinned "You do make a good point" he said  
She then looked toward the seas and back to the map.  
"Ok, point the ship to the right of the sun" said Robin  
He moved down the ship while having Robin chained to him. When he reached the sail, he frowned "It's going to be hard while we have this on" he said shaking his wrist. Robin smirked and lifted her hands.  
"Dues flueir!" she said  
Hands sprouted around the sail and pulled around it. The sail was moved and placed in the right position and then the hands dispersed.  
"That's useful" Zoro said as he looked to her.  
"I told you about the training didn't I?" she said  
"Yeah, it just seems better when you do it" he said walking to the side of the ship. She grabbed his hand as they stopped and leaned on the railing. They now didn't feel any shame or awkwardness when they held hands, since Robin had revealed her longing of the sea and Zoro showing a softer side of himself. They had broken the ice between them and now when they were together they felt a sense of unity, of friendship.  
How long this feeling would last was what the two were thinking. Would they return to being comrades when this journey was finished, or will their feelings for each other continue to rise? 'Only time will tell' they thought to themselves, having no idea the two were thinking about the same subject.

(...)

Night came by later, the sky transforming to different shades that became darker ones as time passed. They had anchored in the middle of the sea where the map indicated that there wasn't much activity. Zoro and Robin were lying on the upper deck, staring to the starry sky in peace, not much coming to their minds.  
At least, not Zoro's mind.  
Robin had felt the warm rays of light slowly leave her; the now chilling air enveloped the atmosphere around them. Zoro couldn't care less about the weather, him being used to lying in cooling nights like this. He was nearly asleep when he felt Robin shake him "Zoro. Zoro wake up" she said  
He grumbled, shifting himself to the side. He could feel sleep just about reach him as he let his eyes droop.  
"Zoro please" said Robin pleadingly  
A feeling reached him when he heard the small bit of helplessness in her voice. He bit the inside of his lip instinctively to force himself awake. He felt the pain in his mouth jog his mind back up and looked to her. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?" he asked  
She was about to say something when she saw blood run down his mouth. "Zoro!" she said, touching his lip from where the blood came. He flinched, feeling her pressure the spot where he bit "Easy!" he said  
She sighed as she wiped the blood away "I was going to ask if we could go inside, but now we have to" she said  
She stood and pulled his hand as he used his other hand to stop the bleeding from spreading all over him. They headed below deck and entered the small room that was stationed on the ship. In the room was a queen sized bed in the right corner, nearly reaching the door. To the left were crates that were filled with unorganized supplies that they had bought. There were no windows, but a lamp hung nailed to the ceiling. Robin took the pack of matches on one of the crates and lit one. She lit the candle in the lamp and closed the door as Zoro moved under it. He held his mouth still as she shuffled through their stuff, trying to find things to help him. She eventually found a rag and some water. She moved over to the bed and sat down, waiting for Zoro to sit with her.  
"I can do it myself" he said, stretching his hand out for her.  
She smiled and pulled him down before he could react. She held his face with one hand and pulled his lip down with her thumb. He sighed, not really caring anymore what she did as she held the rag with her other hand and rubbed the wound with it. He nearly let a sigh of bliss escape him as her hand was on his face. The touch was innocent, not intentional for him, so he forced himself not to. She made sure the blood had pretty much stopped flowing through his lip and then let go of his face.  
"Here" she said, handing him the canister of water. He took it, and lifted the water up, drinking it dry. She felt a tingle sensation go down her neck as she watched him gulp down the drink so swiftly, and felt herself blush. 'He's just drinking, why am I'm like this...' she thought as he let down the canister and set it down in one of the crates.  
"So why did you want to come inside?" he asked, ready to fall back asleep.  
"It was going to get freezing cold out there, I wanted a bed to sleep on aswell" she said as she stretched her legs, feeling herself relax. They sat on the edge of the bed relaxing their bodies, getting ready for the night, while delaying the inevitable moment when they had to decide on a matter.  
How were they going to go to sleep together?  
Zoro had a couple of thoughts on how it could work. He could sleep on the floor and she could sleep on the edge of the bed so that no unnecessary intimate contact happened. Or they could just be off with the chain and just buy another set. 'Wait a second' he thought as that idea made it's way to his head.  
"Couldn't we just replace this when we get back?" asked Zoro  
Robin sighed and looked to him "I used my power to grow an ear beside Luffy when he whispered to Ussop. It would seem that Ussop had put some kind of plant in the bindings of the chain" she said, looking to her locked wrist "When we get back he's supposed to check them by growing the plants out of the locks" she ended with  
Zoro looked on his wrist and sighed "Then we should just get some rest" he said as he moved to the ground to initiate plan A. Robin frowned as she noticed what he had thought out "It won't be that big of a deal to share a bed" said Robin  
Zoro looked to her "It's not about how close we are" he said  
He then began to blush as he continued "I just don't know if I can keep myself in check while being THAT close to you"  
Robin then blushed aswell at the thought of Zoro unable to control himself.  
"If that's what you think is best" she said as she laid down on the bed. Zoro reached as far as he could to the lamp in the ceiling, but only reached far enough to open it. He blew hard towards the candle and took out their light. He chuckled to himself as he laid next to the mattress.  
"Goodnight" she said  
"Night" said Zoro

(Later…)

In the night on the ship where Zoro and Robin slept, there was no heat. No heat source at all for the night, nor miles away in the great blue sea.  
Zoro awoke to something cold holding his chained left hand. He didn't care much for it though; his unconscious mind told him that it was just the chain connected to Robin's right hand. His mind then thought of her, sound asleep. He imagined her in his dreams sleeping soundly and himself on the floor asleep aswell.  
In the quiet night, all he could hear was the soft waves flowing by and tiny creeks of the boat, until he began to hear chattering along with the background.  
Zoro was still thinking how Robin must have felt, having a bed all to her self, but then the chattering made it's way to his mind.  
And he imagined her freezing.  
That had him shoot upright to see what was going on. In the dim night, he could barely make out his legs that laid before him, but he could only see one of his hands. He looked to what was holding the other and saw it was being held by Robin. He looked her over and saw her teeth barely chattering, her body covered up by the covers of the bed. But they didn't seem to be doing much for her.  
'I have to warm her up' he thought  
He looked to the lamp but then shook his head 'I can't risk having a light out while I'm asleep too. It could burn down this the boat by the time I wake up. Plus I can't reach it'  
He then tried looking for other ways to help her, but he knew from the start what he had to do.  
'Dammit, I can't believe I'm going to do this' he thought as he slowly crawled up the mattress. He moved the freezing woman that laid asleep before him away from the edge of the bed and then laid beside her. She then scooted herself to him and rested the back of her head on his chest. He froze as if he had died from the cold as the unconscious Robin moved about. She practically moved him into a haven for her, until she had him nearly spooning her in the bed. He blushed as he scooted himself to complete the contact. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her cold body all over the front of his body. 'You gotta do what you gotta do' he thought as he heard Robin slowly stop chattering.  
He let exhale come out his nostril as he relaxed, knowing she was going to be fine. He too began to truly go back to bed, hoping that he wouldn't begin freezing aswell. He wanted to stay as warm as possible for the rest of the night. For her.

(...)

Robin woke up feeling sleepy and to the sound of airborne creatures flying around the ship. It was morning and she felt she had a good nights sleep as she breathed in and exhaled from her mouth. 'We should get moving' she thought as she began to move. That was when she noticed arms around her. She turned to look behind her and saw Zoro, sound asleep with a peaceful face. Robin didn't know what to do at this point, not really expecting him to go through with sleeping with her. 'I thought...it doesn't matter' she thought as she smiled and looked to his face. She remembered how his lip felt on her thumb as she stared to them. Soft to the touch but they felt firm when she rubbed the rag on them. She decided to turn back around to let him decide what to do to get up. She blushed to herself as she thought of how his lips would feel...if they touched her's. She looked to his arms that were wrapped around her. Curiosity had her placed her hand on one of them and feel it's texture 'He feels warm' she thought to herself as she slowly went back to sleep. Zoro felt his mind jog up at the feeling of a soft touch on him. He woke to see Robin there, asleep. He sighed when he remembered how he got in this situation. 'I'll just wait a little while, until it feels like noon' he thought as he laid there, awake, facing the unconscious Robin. Both were completely comfortable in the bed, in the middle of the sea, alone.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry for just cutting off the trail of chapters that were coming out like pouring water, I just got really tired all of a sudden so I took a break from writing. So here is what I was able to make from the time I was given, hope you like chapter 6!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 6 - Arrival

Zoro felt Robin's body softly move around in his grasp. He nearly groaned when he felt the back of her head sooth his chest and the lower portion of her touch his body. 'This needs to stop or soon I won't care what I do' thought Zoro as he removed his arms from Robin slowly.  
He then moved her over so that she was in the spot when she was freezing last night. She woke up when he was about to sit down beside the mattress.  
"Oh, hello Zoro" she said as she stretched her limbs over the bed.  
'God she's so beautiful' he thought when she closed her eyes and yawned. When she opened her eyes, his eyes flinched away.  
"Morning, we should go see if the bird with the newspaper is here" he said  
She grinned when she saw his reaction "Thank you for keeping me warm" she said as she rose and stood up. 'She noticed then...' he thought. She walked to the door and he was forced to follow since they were bound together by the chain. They exited the room and were greeted by the bright sun in the daytime known as morning. Zoro saw a messenger land and sit on the railing of the ship. It was expecting for one of them to pay up, but Robin smiled and spoke "We don't have any money" she said with a smile.  
It nodded and then positioned itself to fly, which was when Robin sprouted an arm beside it and slid out a newspaper. It flew off, not seeing the act at all. The sprouted hand threw the paper over to Zoro and then dispersed. He caught it and then looked to her "Why don't you do that when were on the Sunny?" he asked, opening it up. She grinned to him as she moved with him to the upper deck and looked at the paper with him.  
"I don't think it's a good thing to do often" she said  
"We're pirates" he replied  
They sat down where they were last night and Robin scooted up behind him and laid her head on his shoulder "It just doesn't feel natural" she said  
He smiled, he turned the page and continued to hold out the newspaper for her "Ok then" he said as they relaxed on the boat.

(...)

Their sail was set, the anchor on deck. They had set out when Robin had finished reading, since Zoro didn't care about the news. Their destination wasn't supposed to be far now, since Nami had told them how close it was from the submersion of Fishman Island. They had spent nearly half a day sailing, so it wouldn't be long until it was in their sights.  
"Is that it?" asked Zoro to the nodding off Robin.  
She turned over to look to where they were headed. It was a large island that had lots of towns that were near the outskirts. There was something else though that caught the eye's attention before anything else. There was a massive structure standing upright, near the center. A giant sword. The tip of this unusually sized blade was stabbed to the ground, while the grip of it was high in the air.  
She looked to the map and checked if the noticeable landmark was there and saw that they were on the right track.  
"Yes, the island that contains the glass sword is supposed to be that one" she said, folding up the map. They looked up to the unusual structure.  
"Do you think they hold swordsmanship as a culture?" asked Robin  
"Maybe it was just a giant's sword and they just built around it" he said  
Both were pondering other reason's how the humongous sword came to sit on an island. But not just any island, but the one where the glass sword was aswell.

(...)

They docked in the local port area where there were plenty of communities that helped them easily blend in as normal sailors. There were markets that sold lots of food from seas and different areas as Zoro and Robin walked toward one of the towns. As they walked, the number of stands which sold goods slowly declined. Eventually, the only things that were being sold were swords. Swords of all kinds of shapes size and design were being sold, and there was children practicing their skill in the art of blades around corners of stores and homes.  
"I kind of like this place" said Zoro as he held Robin's gloved hand, looking to see even teens and grown adults accepting and showing their appreciation to what he did best.  
"I'm interested in how this type of society formed..." said Robin  
"People like swords, isn't that enough?" he asked  
Robin smiled at how simple he thought it was "People like a lot of things. Something must have happened here and changed the way things were viewed" she said  
A crowd was forming ahead of them in the middle of the town, and it seemed like a fight was going on. They walked closer to see the reason people were forming up was, and when they found a good view, they saw two swordsmen clashing blades and dodging slashes.  
"The fight is only getting better folks! Which of these talented guys will end the match? Will it be the red or blue flag? There's always time to place your bets!" yelled an announcer.  
Zoro watched the two fighters slash and sidestep in the midst of battle, watching there movements and analyzing their skill by observing the match. Robin tapped a woman that they stood behind, the woman turned to her "Excuse me, but what does he mean by red and blue flags?" asked Robin  
The woman smiled "Oh, your not from around here I guess. My name is Kyla" said Kyla  
She turned back to the match and spoke "On this Island, there are swordsmen who fight for groups that have a flag that represents them, they are separated by color" said the woman as the fight continued "There are also symbolic marked groups aswell, but they aren't exactly popular anymore. The two greatest groups right now are the red and blue ones. The red flag has always come out victorious for a while now, and the blues have been the only ones to match them in the way of the sword. But there is another group that is better than the both of them" said Kyla as she turned back to them. She then pointed to the giant sword's grip, high in the sky. High in the air, Zoro and Robin could barely make out a small white flag connected to the sword.  
"The white flags are the rulers of this island, and they are strong and confident, allowing groups to grow in power. They are undefeated though..." said the woman, lowering her tone. The two turned back to her to let her continue "Not one of their ten legendary swordsman have ever lost a battle. They are just the best swordsmen that have ever lived; some say that Dracule Mihawk had battled their leader, the ruler of this kingdom once. That was the only time the ruler had known defeat. But nobody has ever been able to reach that level of skill here, so most of us live in fear of how powerful they are..." the Kyla turned back to the fight and Zoro and Robin continued to be spectators the battle as well.  
"It's the reason the kingdom wants a new ruler, for the sense of security. We live in fear being ruled by them because they hold mandatory tournaments" she said  
"What's that?" asked Robin  
"Every flagged group must enter their best swordsman into the tournament in order to survive, otherwise the flag members are executed" said the lady  
"Then a new ruler would be a great change" said Robin  
"Yes, it's the reason this town is more together than separated even with the groups. We don't care who battles the white flags. Well... except the red flags. They don't want to share their incredible skill with others and are trying to destroy the competition around the towns" said Kyla  
"Look at that! The blue flag fighter is starting to slow down, is this the end for this match?" asked the announcer  
The exhausted fighter in the ring was struggling to keep his big and large sword upright, clearly finished for the battle.  
"And then there is the sad part about how the reds handle victories" said Kyla as the red fighter charged forward and knocked down the blue one.  
"They offer them a choice, either swear on their swordsmanship to join the reds or die. Nobody is allowed to intervene because whoever does is violating one of the laws of the kingdom, which is let the weak die" she said as the red placed his blade on the blue's neck.  
"You know the question, just like everybody else. What'll it be?" asked the red grinning  
The blue breathed heavily and spoke "You also should know what we say to your kind...every time. Never" said the man who lay on the ground.  
"Just our customary rule pal" said the red as he drew his blade into the air, aiming to strike down the blue.  
Kyla bit her lip and looked to the ground and closed her eyes 'It's just how things are' she thought  
A clash followed however, not the normal sound of flesh tearing that the citizens were used to. She looked up and she couldn't believe what she saw. Robin saw it coming though.  
Zoro had broken the chain that bonded Robin and him, and sliced the red's sword clean in half. Right before the crowd.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I'm here with another chapter! It's Friday so this has to be a good chapter (right?). So I was able to construct another chapter and if you read the first few, this one will make sense to you. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others.

Chapter 7 - A little sleepy

Zoro was an honorable man who knew that when two men battle, they risk their pride, honor, and reputation. That they even put their lives on the line when they fight and if you interrupt a battle between them, you are dishonoring the battle. Especially if you try to protect the one who lost. You're disrespecting the code and bring shame to the loser if you assist them, but you truly make them look weak if you save them from death. At least, if the battle was truly an honorable one. Zoro had been studying the battle, and could tell something was off. This was why he decided to figure it out as soon as he asked the blue later.  
"Hey punk, you trying to get yourself killed?" asked the red, clearly annoyed that he didn't do the deed.  
"Get out of here, you can't defeat him" said the blue from the ground as he sat up. Zoro stood before the red with his sword drawn out, pointing to the side after slicing the sword. The blue lay on the ground, half surprised that someone had saved him.  
"I want to fight you" said Zoro  
The red frowned, dumbfounded by the bluntness of Zoro's statement "What was that?" the red then grinned "I wouldn't mind another match; you must not be from around here. I'm a red, so I will naturally win if you fight me" said the red as he looked to the side. Another red threw a new sword to him and he caught it and swung it to his side "You only cut my sword because it was unexpected, I won't let it happen again" he then held the blade towards Zoro, pointing the tip to his head.  
Zoro lowered his sword to his side and walked away from the blue on the ground so that he would out of harm's way.

(POV SHIFT)

Kyla and Robin watched as Zoro walked in a circle around the red and stopped, facing him.  
"Does your friend know what he's doing? I told you they are very powerful" said Kyla, worrying about what would happen next.  
Robin smiled as she looked to her "Can you tell me more about the ruler of this kingdom?" asked Robin  
Kyla looked to her, surprised at how little she was paying attention to what was currently going on "What about your friend? Don't you care about him?" she asked  
Robin looked to Zoro and the red and then back to Kyla "Why care about something that will be over soon?" she asked  
Kyla frowned "Are you that confident in his power?" asked Kyla  
Robin grinned to her "He IS the next greatest swordsman" said Robin  
Kyla's eyes widened and looked to Zoro "How do you know?" she asked  
Robin smiled and laughed "Because he said so once" said Robin

(POV SHIFT)

"Once I defeat you, the other fools who are new here will know how things work" said the red  
"Woo! Looks like there is gonna be another fight! Who'll win? The red flagged swordsman or this mysterious guy who is holding three blades from his waist? I'm sure it won't be long to find out!" said the announcer, addressing the crowd. They cheered out cries as to who they thought the victor would be as Zoro yawned from boredom.  
'Dammit, last night's sleep felt so nice... I wonder if I and Robin will share a bed again. Because god I feel like napping with her right now' he thought as he felt sleep already coming back as he stood.  
"We going to fight or do I just cut you down now?" asked Zoro, trying to keep himself from just finishing the battle in one second 'I can't show my skill or else I might get attention and be suspected of being somebody important' thought Zoro  
The red snarled and charged "I'll make sure you know the red's fury!" he yelled as he swung his sword at Zoro's side. Zoro looked to the sky and pulled up his blade to block the attack, as he yawned again and closed his eyes.  
"This red fury stuff doesn't feel very strong... are you sure this is it?" asked Zoro as he looked down to the red.  
The red swung again, having the blade race to his neck. Zoro stepped forward at incredible speed and slammed the grip of his blade into his gut. The red spat out breath and dropped to his knees, and then fell to the ground.  
'Oh well, I still have to find out what was wrong about that battle before I go to bed' he thought  
Zoro turned to the blue who was amazed at how quick and easy Zoro made the battle seem.  
"Can I ask you something?" asked Zoro  
The blue was starring at the unconscious red that now lay on the ground. He looked to Zoro and spoke "Who are you?" asked the blue  
Zoro frowned and thought of a way to answer him. 'I can't risk getting caught because me and Robin can't fight off marines while being chained toge... wait a second' he thought as he looked to his wrist. The chain was cut and they were now free.  
Zoro grinned as he threw the cap that hid his hair away and drew his sword back into the sheath on his waist.  
"I'm a swordsman" he said  
The blue had a confused face as to why he just seemed more open to show who he was.  
"We'll get you back you freak" called a red from afar as that one and another carried off the beaten red away.  
Zoro turned to the blue and held out his hand. The blue was hesitant at first, not really knowing what to do. Zoro then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up and dragged him along as Zoro walked back to Robin and Kyla.  
"Hey! I didn't agree to this!" said the blue as they reached the two.  
Zoro turned him so that he was facing him and asked "Why did you throw that match away?"  
The blue's eyes widened at his question and he looked away "I don't know what your talking about" said the blue "I fought with all I could for my life, why would I accept defeat if I had the choice to win?" he then asked  
Zoro glared at him "I wouldn't know. But I did see you could have ended that match in two different moments but you clenched your eyes and braced yourself for the hits you knew would happen" said Zoro  
The blue then looked to him, amazed "How could you possibly know that? Who are you, really?" asked the blue  
"I'm a skilled swordsman" he replied  
The blue then noticed their surroundings, people were trying to figure out their conversation "I'll tell you all in a moment, follow me for now" said the blue as he walked past the crowd. Zoro, Robin and Kyla followed him through groups of people and streets, eventually leading them to a small warehouse. The blue led them to the back of it, where nobody was able to be seen.  
The blue turned to them and sighed "The reason why we blues decide to accept our demise instead of finishing off the match is because what would happen" said the blue  
"Is there really a reason to throw your life away? If you had won, you wouldn't force the loser a decision of life and death, or change of life, right?" asked Kyla  
The blue sighed and looked to her "I would be forced to" said the blue  
Kyla frowned "Why?" she asked  
"It's the law, right?" asked Robin  
The blue nodded and looked to the ground "We are not only risking our lives when we battle, but also our humanity. The law that states that the weak must die, and its what keeps us from winning, because we don't get to decide who is weak, the battle does. The whites have spies all over the main areas and keep a watchful eye on how battles turn out, they see who losses and then they are targeted to be assassinated. It would be horrible to force the reds to all be murdered simply because we are more skilled, so we hide ourselves in the shadows to avoid battle, but once word gets out that one of us are a blue, we can only give our last stand or else we become the heartless monsters" said the blue  
He then grew frustrated as he continued "Our only hope out of this mess is to place our hopes on the leader of the blues, Tengo. But it seems like a hopeless battle at this point" said the blue  
"Couldn't you just leave the island?" said Zoro  
Kyla shook her head "All who leave the island are to be executed is another one of the laws. The only way to free ourselves is to win the tournament and take down the white kingdom... but they are just far too powerful for a single swordsman to take down. Because only one swordsman can enter, and then the one who wins has to go against all ten warriors of the white flag. And even if they somehow by some miracle defeat the ten white blades, they have to beat the ruler of this kingdom" said Kyla  
Robin looked to her "By the way, who is the ruler again?" asked Robin  
Kyla looked to the giant sword and sighed "The ruler resides atop the blade, her name is Uma Flond" said Kyla  
Zoro grinned "Ah, so that's where the third trainee went" said Zoro  
The blue and Kyla looked to him, not understanding what he was talking about.  
"Yes, it would seem she did become something strong. Maybe not great but strong" said Robin as she stared to the sky atop the massive blade.  
The both of them remembered what the old lady from the cave had told them. " _You see, Haro had three students when he was still alive. The first was a woman named Uma, the second a man named Dracule, and last for about a month was the fishman named Hachi_ " was what Yenma, the old friend of Haro had told them.  
"I guess it's time to see how strong this Uma is" said Zoro with confidence in his voice.  
Kyla looked to Zoro, thinking he just went insane "Do you even know the power of Uma Flond? She has never even been battled against because she is so powerful, she controls the ten white blades like if they were her slaves!" said Kyla  
The blue turned to Zoro "You do know she is the only other swordsman to rival the warlord Dracule Mihawk, right?" asked the blue  
"Hey" said Zoro "When is the next tournament?" he asked  
"It seems pretty coincidental that its tomorrow, but you should know both the red and blue leaders are said to enter this time, are you sure you can even defeat them?" asked the blue  
Zoro smirked "I don't know but I'll enter tomorrow" said Zoro and then he turned to Robin.  
"By the way Robin" he said  
Robin looked to him "Yeah?" she asked  
"Can we take a nap together?" he asked  
She let a sigh come out at the thought of resting with Zoro for the day "That sounds nice" she said


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Hello and welcome to chapter 8! The title refers to two things in the story. I hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything that is made by others

Chapter 8 - Getting started

Robin inhaled air and spoke  
"You know, Luffy will make us do silly things when we get back now" said Robin as she sat with swordsman. They were sitting on a bench in a street that didn't have much people around. The sun was setting, and the day couldn't have ended better for Zoro and Robin. It wasn't that they had gone through a lot, just that they felt the most relaxed when they lay next to each other.  
Zoro grumbled, not caring about what their captain would do when they returned "I just want to sleep" he said  
Robin looked over to Zoro and saw that he was just about to call it a day. Wind blew past her, giving her a chilling feeling and the want to go inside.  
She scooted up to him and shook his shoulder.  
"I want a bed" she said, trying to keep him up. "Zoro... Zoro..." called Robin, but he was already off.  
She then scooted as close as she could to him and whispered to his ear "Zoooroo" she whispered  
He huffed at her soft voice and turned over to try and block out any sound.  
Robin pulled his ear, making him instinctively jump up. Feeling like she had just attempted to tear his ear off, he yelled to her "What!" he exclaimed  
Robin smirked, content that he was more focused on what was going on "I want a bed" she repeated  
Zoro looked around them and brought himself back to speed "I don't see why we can't just sleep here" he replied, rubbing the side his face.  
Robin huffed "You don't because I'm the one getting cold" she said  
He then realized it was the same problem as the night on the boat "Ok, just give me a-"  
"Hey you two, that's my spot"  
Zoro and Robin turned to see a man standing right beside the bench. He looked old and had a sword strapped onto his back. He had a yellow faded jacket on which covered most of his body except his face, which looked clearly mad.  
"I sleep here, so go find your own bed" said the man, indicating for them to move along.  
"Right, we were on our way" said Robin  
She and Zoro stood and began to walk back to the main town in search of a place to rest.

(Later)

Zoro and Robin had found a place to rent, but Zoro had to promise a debt to pay later, since most of his and her currency was spent on their disguises and boat. He and Robin entered their room and had a look around. It was small, but bigger than the boat at least. There was a queen bed that looked worn out, but in good condition, with a standard ceiling fan and lights. To the left was a bathroom, to which Robin immediately entered and closed the door, leaving a confused Zoro standing beside the door.  
"Robin, you alright?" he asked from the outside. After a moment he heard the sound of running water and then understood.  
"It feels so long since I've heard this" said Robin from the inside, the sound of relief in her voice.  
He smirked as he made his way to the bed and looked around to see if there was more but that was the limit. 'It's a good place' he thought as he lay down unto the bed, relaxing himself.  
Robin soothed her hair as water poured down over her form, thinking to herself. 'It's been a while since we've left the Sunny, I wonder how the others are doing...' she thought as she lathered soap over her head and body, washing it down with the water. She exited the shower and looked to her clothes 'I miss them, but also have this feeling that if we do go back, being close as we are, it'll raise suspicion of how things went' she thought as she dressed herself 'I know me and him don't exactly have feelings for each other so far. It feels like we're very close and protective of each other... Or ... It just feels...' she thought as she returned to the room. She saw on the edge of the bed was Zoro fast asleep. She smiled and made her way to the other side of the bed.  
'It feels natural, like he said on that day' she smiled, and then sighed as she looked to the ceiling 'But how long does ~natural~ last? Will we always stay like this? I feel like now there should be more...' she thought, feeling sleep taking her from her thoughts for the night.

(Morning)

Zoro woke up first; he was used to getting up at the break of dawn for the day. He turned over to see Robin, who was asleep. He looked to make sure his blades were still against the wall, and then sighed, just laying there for a moment to think over how he would fight in the tournament. 'I need to keep myself in shape...' he thought, turning over the edge of the bed and lowering himself to the floor. He positioned himself to do push-ups and began the endless streak that would follow. Robin soon woke up, hearing the sound of counting from the other side of the bed. She scooted over the bed and saw Zoro. She thought of what she was contemplating last night and decided to bring up the subject.  
"Zoro?" she asked  
He continued his work-out, giving a grunt as a response in-between his counting.  
"What are we?" she asked  
Zoro then stopped in his exercise and held a plank position once he heard her question.  
"I know we are more familiar with each other, but what label of relationship do we fall under?" she asked  
Zoro stood up and sat next to her "I guess... friends" he said in a thoughtful tone.  
"We are still friends, only just more open with each other now" he said  
She looked to him for a moment, thinking how the last few days had gone by.  
"Ok" she said, standing up  
She then went to the bathroom and the sound of running water soon came to Zoro's ears 'That's all we are' he thought  
He frowned to himself, not liking the sound of friends in their relationship. It sounded like it didn't really reach their status to each other, it sounded weaker than what they had. 'I need to focus, today is that tournament' he thought before resuming his push-ups.

(Later)

Zoro and Robin entered the tournament arena, a large area that didn't seem like the place to wander in. The seats were far away from the stadium as to keep the spectators especially safe. The stadium itself was a large circle that barely rose from the ground, about a couple of feet. On the stadium, were already a multitude of warriors with an assortment of blades readying for the challenge. Robin and Zoro looked to each other and nodded before going their separate ways. Zoro stood at the edge of the stadium to view the competition 'There are about a hundred or something here' he thought 'I'll wipe out most of them in one attack so we can move things along' thought Zoro as he walked to a corner of the stage and stood to wait for it to begin. After a while, a voice was heard "Welcome all! I am here to talk and talk, so let me talk about how the tournament is going to work this time around"  
As the announcer spoke of the rules and regulations, he placed his hand on one of his blades, prepared to strike as soon as the guy finished.  
"And the only way to lose is falling out of the ring or by death! That's right; you are allowed to kill in this thing. Now ready!?" yelled the announcer  
The crowd was appeased by the large battle that was about to begin, groups of swordsmen cheered their own flags on and there were also people who weren't locally known. Others from different regions had come to view the tournament and see how powerful the contestants were this time around. Robin crossed her arms and leaned against a wall as she watched Zoro.  
'Death is permitted' she thought  
'I know that he will have no problem defeating them all, but I can't help but worry...' she trained her eyes on other competitors to try and see if there would be any difficulty for her crew mate, but most seemed like they were no trouble at all. She then noticed a yellow coated warrior sitting down, cross legged. 'Is that...' Robin's eyes focused on that guy and saw that it was indeed the homeless guy that slept on the bench. He seemed completely calm, waiting for the match to start like if he had been waiting for it to for a whole hour now.  
"And Go!" yelled the announcer, opening the gates for battle to all the people in the ring.  
Zoro tightened his grip on the blade in his hand and crouched "One sword style, draw!" He drew his blade upward and sent a gust of powerful winds across the battle field, throwing some fighters into the air, while others only struggled to keep their footing. Zoro smirked as he watched nearly half of the swordsman drop out the ring.  
"I seemed to have underestimated the players around here" he said as he drew his other two swords and bit one to hold in his mouth.  
"And would you look at that! In a flash, the tournament is already almost over!" yelled the announcer  
"If you wait a little more, it'll be over in a second" he said, moving in to begin the fighting.  
Zoro ran toward foes, clashing blades and beating down warriors with his kicks and arm slams. There wasn't much other activity since Zoro had been the first to begin, so most agreed to focus on this powerful newcomer without a word. Zoro beat swordsmen down and sent others flying toward groups that were charging at him, the tides of battle were clearly no match for his skills that he had developed over the years. Zoro spun his legs to his right and swung his upper body with a strong twist from the waist, arms spread out, sending a shockwave bursting all around him. It sent nearly all other fighters into the air and even beat some so hard, they fell unconscious.  
"Only four people remain! Who the hell is this guy, he's way to strong for our usual pack of ruffians!" yelled the announcer as the crowd cheered for the last four swordsmen that remained on the stage, though a portion was absolutely livid from the fact that some of their fighters didn't even last long.  
Robin felt a smile on her face as she watched Zoro move through the battle so easily, like if this was all staged and he was the only one allowed to actually fight.  
'He has gotten much faster' she thought, looking to the amount of swordsmen fallen to him and his great power.  
"I see why you really didn't worry at all when he fought that blue before"  
Robin looked to her side to see Kyla staring in awe at the stadium.  
She looked back to Zoro and watched as he stared to the last three fighters. There was a large man dressed in bright red wearing a red bandana, another man that looked tall and slim with a white trench coat, blue shirt and blue helmet, and lastly the old homeless man that had been seated the whole time. 'I had thought that he was something to keep an eye on...' she thought  
"Only your friend, the red and blue leaders, and that man are left" said Kyla  
Robin looked to Zoro and saw him walk to the three, confident as ever.  
"I told you before, he is the next greatest swordsman" she said  
Zoro stopped a distance away from the last three swordsmen and looked to the old man. 'That guy hasn't done a thing, but I feel like he'll be tough' he thought 'I should get rid of the other two first so that it'll be a one on one' he thought as he looked to the red and blue fighters. The red looked to the old man on the ground and grinned. "Hey you, aren't you gonna fight?" asked the red, crouching to try and see his face under his hood. He grew irritated after the silence that followed and stood up. "Well it's a tournament, so anything goes if you're in here" he said as he drew the large blade from his side. The blue drew out his two blades and faced Zoro, readying to fight.  
"You better be a good fighter" said Zoro as he stopped before the blue.  
The blue smiled and lifted his leg before him, raising it above head level. Zoro changed his stance to guard and waited for the blue to make the first move. The red was standing before the old man with the blade in the air. "It's your own fault, you weirdo!" the red yelled as he swung down his sword to the old man's head. The blue threw down his leg and slammed his ankle to the ground, giving him force to rush at Zoro at incredible speed. Zoro and the old man smirked, swinging a blade at lightning speed and blocking the blows of both of their attackers. Zoro lowered his blade while blocking, pulling the blue leader in. He slammed his knee unto the blue's chest and threw him over his back. The old man stood up while blocking the red leader and kicked him directly in the chest, casting him across the stage.  
Both the red and blue leaders skidded out of the boundaries, both out of breath and unable to stand.  
The two swordsmen that stood looked to each other and locked eyes.  
"Only two guys left now, and these look pretty powerful. Will they give us a show or will it be over by one of them in a flash?" said the announcer  
The crowd went wild cheering at high volumes, wanting to truly see an epic battle for the tournament.  
"That won't be necessary"  
Zoro and the old man looked to the far side to see ten men standing before the stage, all with different blades and marks on their chests. They all wore large white coats with claw marks on their chests, each with a different number of them, going from one to ten.  
"The ten white blades are here! This hasn't happened in years!" yelled the announcer as the crowd began to slowly hush down its excitement.  
Zoro noticed the tone shift and looked around the stadium. 'So they hold that much of a grip on them' he thought, taking out the sword in his mouth and placed all three of his blades on the ground. The old man let out a grunt and spoke "What's wrong you little squirt, you giving up? I could use your help, but if you're that afraid..."  
Zoro took out his bandana and tied it on his head, giving an extra pull on the end and cracked his neck to the sides. He then took up his blades and got into a stance.  
"Shut up you lazy old man, I'm just getting started" said Zoro


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Hi! I apologize for not updating in an extreme amount of time. I couldn't focus on the story good enough because of school, but that's not my excuse, just an explanation to those of you who might have wondered.

Without further a' due, (I think that's how it's spelled) please read my fanfic!

Chapter 9 – Men and Women

Zoro analyzed to the ten swordsmen that were now moving up towards the center of the stage. They all looked exactly the same height, and looked to have the same form and cloaks. The only way to distinguish them from each other would be that they all wore different blades on their sides and backs, and that they had a number of claw marks on their chests. They all halted once they reached the center of the stage, none of them making unnecessary movement. Zoro could feel their focus from where he stood, and it excited him to finally find opponents that could perhaps hold their own against him. He looked over to the old man and saw him raise his blade over his head.

"Watch boy, look at how they react to this" said the old man before running towards the swordsmen in the center. Before he could even reach them, three bursted forward and clashed their swords onto his. The old man pulled on his heels to jump back, and the three that had stopped his attack stood planted to the ground. Zoro sighed "So they work together, that's fine" he said

"Yeah, so always keep all of them on tabs" the old man said

Zoro held out his arms so that his blades reached out as far as they could while in his grip. He took a step and leaned on the foot before him so that it looked like he was preparing for a race, arms spread out.

"All ten together can't lay a mark on me" he said before charging forward.

Robin watched as Zoro aimed for the kill, only to be blocked by five of the white blades at once. Robin pursed her lips at her comrade's recklessness. 'I need to do something, standing around while he fights feels like I'm too laid back' she thought as she looked to the giant sword where the ruler lived. 'Could I take out Uma before she fights Zoro?' she pondered on the idea of just completing their objective in one fell swoop, and looked back to Zoro. 'I feel like his pride wouldn't allow me to do so' she thought

She then smirked and made her way discreetly past the people spectating 'I suppose he wouldn't...if he knew about it' she thought, exiting the arena area.

Zoro continued battling the warriors, in the heat of battle he couldn't notice that Robin had left. He was currently battling four swordsmen; they were around him so it seemed they had boxed him in. He charged toward one and didn't really attempt to attack him, only initiate the other three to block his target. He blocked the left one with the blade in his mouth, the one behind him with the left sword, and the right swordsmen with his right one. The three were stunned and lost their balances, but the fourth struck forward with a smaller than average blade. Zoro jumped back to dodge the attack and struck the one behind him with the two blades in his hands by the handles. The one behind held his gut from the impact and Zoro blocked the first one's continuing attack with the sword in his mouth. The two on the sides swung at him and he smirked. 'You're all so close, so it'll hurt more' he thought

He twisted his waist and swung the swords in his hands to the side and created a burst around him, cutting the bodies of all four attackers and throwing them far from him. They all were barely reaching the edge of the stage when four other swordsmen caught each of them. Zoro took out the blade in his mouth and spat to the side.

"Bunch of weaklings"

(POV SHIFT)

Robin had made her way through the city, hiding amongst the crowds as she got closer and closer to the giant sword's base. She had assumed that there would be a way in, like some kind of entrance. A door… gates… the usual openings. But she was mistaken, and she knew so when she reached it.

The bottom of the sword had nothing wrong with it; it looked like the sword was indeed, just a sword. Not some lair or house structure. 'So how do I get in...?' Robin sat on a bench and let crowds of people walk past her so that she didn't look out in the open. She analyzed the perimeter and couldn't find any separate openings from the grounds, so they didn't enter from below. It was already obvious that the sword had no outings from the center, so you couldn't go inside from the sides.

'Which leaves' Robin looked to the sky and squinted her eyes to see what were above. The sun's glare slightly blurred her vision, so she used her abilities to grow an eye on the giant sword's bit of shade that was there. Her eye could see that there was a platform high above. It was tied to the side of the sword where it would be far too high to reach, no matter how hard you tried. 'I bet Luffy would just climb up, regardless the heights' thought Robin

But now that she knew that to enter, it would be from above, she began contemplating how she could reach the top. 'I could maybe fly, but doing so would attract attention, something I don't want to have. Which leaves waiting for the elevator contraption to come down' Robin held her chin with the side of her index finger and thumb. Waiting around for something that could take an entire day wasn't something she wanted to test. 'I suppose I could travel far from here and begin taking to the skies as soon as I'm out of eye's reach. That way, it would be difficult to notice me as I flew' Robin thought more, making sure that there really weren't any other options. She didn't hold the topic in her mind for long though, Zoro would be finishing up the swordsmen at any time, and she wanted to get up there before he was done. She stood and once more weaved past the people to reach her next destination.

(POV SHIFT)

Zoro had just finished beating six of the powerful swordsmen, their bodies dropping to the ground. The old man was currently fighting three at once, he seemed like he was struggling, but Zoro decided to interfere only when it was necessary. So he directed his attention to the one swordsman that hadn't moved since reaching the center. The one with ten claw marks on his chest stood still. He seemed the most fit compared to the others, with a slightly larger than average blade on his hip, and his height wasn't small either. The ten clawed man had been studying them, but with a dark demeanor.

"This isn't a surprise. I would expect nothing less from you. Roronora Zoro of the Straw Hats" Zoro wore a confused face, not expecting the sudden statement from the man and to be known by him as well.

"Well, I never knew you guys could talk. But that won't matter once I beat you" Zoro began to walk towards the Ten claws in a leisurely pace. Ten glared at Zoro as he walked, and he placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. "Oh I've wanted this for a long time now. I'll make sure you die here and now Roronora"

Zoro held his blades to the sides as he walked.

"I'm glad my name is known even way out here. So how does it feel knowing your about to be cut down?" asked Zoro

Ten slowly drew out his blade, and once it was completely taken out, he swung it to his right and held it up that way "You underestimate me. There's a reason why I am cautious with my foes, and it isn't because I'm the strategic type. I must never lose" said ten

Zoro stopped only a few meters away from ten, a distance that he knew he could cover in a second "Yeah? Why's that?" asked Zoro as he positioned himself to launch towards ten.

The Ten claws changed his stance as well, preparing. "I am nearly the strongest man on this Island. I have never lost a battle as long as I have lived. The reason why is because I must prove that I AM the most powerful male alive here, so that I may take the hand of Catala Flond!"

Zoro's eyes flinched to the name, and he asked "So is Catala the daughter of Uma?"

Ten claws threw his sword high into the air and ripped off the cloak that covered him up. There stood a man who looked unique, but somehow similar to a certain individual. He wore black boots that looked durable and thick, pants that were dark red, and a shirt that was black and had a white stripe in the center. But the most noticeable characteristic of the ten claws was...

"Wait a second! Why the hell do you have my hair color?" asked Zoro

Ten had bright green hair that was quite similar to Zoro's, and his physique nearly matched him to.

"You see, Catala doesn't like anybody. She is always training up in the sword tower, but I discovered something that makes my blood boil. Only once was I granted entrance to there and only one thing was noticeable in her quarters" Ten snarled at Zoro and it was obvious now why he knew his name.

"She had wanted posters all over the walls, and they all hold your face!" shouted Ten

"I will prove not only to this Island, but Catala as well, that I, Hatame, am better than you! Roronora Zoro!" he caught his sword at that moment and charged forward, Zoro barely lifted a blade to block the attack. He wasn't prepared to have Hatame to be so fast, and he grinned. "Your quick, but I hope you last longer than your friends"

(POV SHIFT)

Robin was high in the air, flying toward the giant sword. It had taken a while to make it to such altitudes, and she was careful not to cast a shadow that would be visible. She eventually made it to the section where she had scouted the elevator contraption and descended close to the blade and on the elevator.

Once she landed, she looked to her surroundings before going in. There were no doors, just an opening and a light from above. She walked past the entrance and saw that the sword was, in fact, not a sword. The blade was larger on the inside; it had a big room where she stood. On the left were stairs that went down and on the right were stairs going up, it seemed like there must've been dozens of floors since the sword could certainly hold that many levels.

But what was most surprising was…

There were wanted posters holding Zoro's face all over the walls, some sideways and others framed neatly.

Robin didn't know what the story was behind these pictures and why they were on the walls, but she didn't decide on much other than a clear obsession of her partner when humming could be heard coming down the right. The sound of the hums didn't indicate that they knew that an intruder was there, but Robin moved to them and hid under the flight of stairs as the person came down. It was female and Robin crouched as the unknown person stopped at the bottom. She breathed in a lump of air threw her nose and let a slightly relieved breath leave her mouth.

Robin had then estimated this to be a teenage girl when the person spoke out loud.

"My Zoro…"

Robin focused on the shadow that was near her and slowly sat down. It was obvious that this girl wasn't going anywhere and Robin didn't want to be found out.

But the girl's plan wasn't about to let her stay hidden.

"How's Zoro?" asked the girl

Robin didn't flinch. She was used to high tension moments and didn't know if the girl actually knew about her.

"I asked…" the girl slowly walked toward the side of the stairs while having Robin right behind her.

"How's Zoro?" asked the girl again, before looking behind her with her arms crossed.

"Nico Robin" she said with a calm smile.

AN: I had forgotten how much I enjoyed writing, there's just something about it that makes me remember my creativity and forget my boredom. If you like reading on fanfic, and feel like YOU yourself want to write, don't be afraid! Just make sure you're dedicated, it might take a lot of self effort at first.

Have a good one!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Yay, new chapter. I sort of wish that writing didn't suck up so much time but what are ya gonna do? Make a pathetic chapter? Not if I can help it. But I will say I could be putting more effort compared to the stories that I've seen.

Anyways, here you are.

Chapter 10 – Resting

Zoro and Hatame clashed in the center of the stage, their power being pushed together made the ground around them slightly shake. They backed up from each other and slowly circled around while having their sights locked on the other. Both could tell from the clash that there was more to be had in the battle.

"I expected you to be far weaker than this Roronora" said Hatame

Zoro swung his sword and created a burst of wind toward his opponent, which Hatame dodged by jumping to the side. Zoro ran to the spot where he moved to, and a fury of clashes followed as Zoro tried to gain the offensive. All Hatame could do was either block or flee the barrage of attacks Zoro pushed onto him. Just when he couldn't defend any more, Zoro jumped back and smirked with his blades to his sides.

"And I expected more of a challenge"

Zoro knew though that he had only gotten the edge for the moment, and so did Hatame.

But that still didn't stop his opponent from losing his cool "Come here, I'll show a challenge!" yelled Hatame as he tried to attack once more.

(POV Shift)

Robin was still sitting on the floor under the stairs as the unknown girl stood before her with her back turned. She wasn't afraid of the situation she was in, for if she wanted to have Robin discovered, she could have easily alerted whatever guards that were near by. But instead, the girl wanted to know about Zoro. 'So you're the one who probably put up these posters…' thought Robin as she stood. The girl turned and stood facing Robin with a plain but expecting face, wanting to know the response of Robin. She didn't want to talk in the position she was in, but decided to comply as she walked around toward the stairs that went up.

"He's doing fine. Right now he should be finishing up the white blades" the look of excitement rose on the girls face, and she ran next to Robin.

"Oh so you both are here? Is the rest of the Straw hats here then?" asked the girl

Robin didn't show any change of her demeanor, but smirked inwardly to how the little girl reacted. If Robin could feed her all the information she wanted until she got to Uma Flond, then getting to the top would be easy. The girl was probably a resident of the sword. And if she was seen next to her, it wouldn't be seen as intrusion, but as if the girl had invited Robin in. Before she gave out more info however, she needed to confirm the authority of this girl.

"Can you tell me your name first?" asked Robin

The girl immediately told her "Catala Flond, and forget my first question. What's Zoro's favorite food? Does he have any sleeping habits? What does he do on the ship, like any hobbies?" Catala couldn't and wouldn't stop herself as the two began walking up the stairs. Robin tried to answer all the questions that were blurted, but some she had to skip to keep up with the newer ones. Once they both reached the top of the stairs, the next floor, she saw two men suited in armor that indicated they guarded the sword. When they saw her, they frowned. When they noticed the girl beside Robin, they returned to their postures and let them continue. Robin resumed her responses and was glad that the daughter of Uma held authority here.

'Won't be long now I suppose'

(POV shift)

Both warriors of blades were exhausted and their arms felt like they could give out at any moment. They had both unconsciously agreed to only use attacks that didn't affect the battlefield, thus the entire match they were wearing each other down by the minute. To Zoro, it was like training. He always pushed himself to the absolute limit while trying to achieve higher levels of skill and power, so the feeling of nearly passing out felt familiar.

But to Hatame, it was different. He hadn't been forced to use this much effort in a battle in a long time. The feeling of near defeat was creeping up the back of his mind and he shook his head. His optimal condition may have been lost due to the battle, but he would always keep the pride that he had. Since the beginning days of his swordsmanship, he felt fated to become powerful through the ways of blades. So he pursued his dream to be the best at sword fighting and he was naturally a gifted fighter. Instinct was his main foothold and he usually never needed a strong motivation or a lot of effort to win a battle. Zoro however, always had to put all he had in a fight, and now he stood without fear before his opponent.

"You're not going to win here, or ever again Roronora! I swear I'll defeat you and become the greatest swordsman there ever was! I swear it before your death!" Hatame yelled so loud, it sounded like he wasn't yelling to the crowds, or even Zoro. The one he was trying to convince was himself.

Zoro's eyes flinched to his announcement and glared to Hatame. He drew his swords back into their slots with out letting his sights leave Hatame. The blade in his mouth was still being clenched by his teeth. He lifted his fists up and had them tightened as if he were about to fight with only his hands and feet.

The stance was out of its environment and this was confusing to the leader of the white blades. "What now? Have you given up your blades and refuse to use them?" asked Hatame

The Straw Hat pirate ran toward his opponent without a word, as if it was to be expected to use this type of tactic.

"You'll be sorry that you've abandoned your three style battling" said Hatame as Zoro reached him. Zoro took the sword from his mouth and held it with both hands and began assaulting Hatame with his blade, matching his opponent with blows that had him step back slowly. Hatame was having trouble keeping up with Zoro, the attitude that the swordsmen had was different than before, with him always glaring and movements that allowed him to attack furiously and quickly.

"The hell?" Zoro was now able to keep up with Hatame with only one sword, with skill that was focused and direct, it was definitely because of something that he had said.

"What? You can't stand the thought of the title falling to me? I'll prove it to you now that such a name should and will only belong to-"

"You talk so much its incredible" said Zoro as he swung and knocked away Hatame's weapons.

"I just thought that you were becoming annoying… so…" said Zoro as he stabbed his blade into his unarmed opponent.

"I got serious" he said glaring into his eyes.

Without moving the rest of his body, Zoro used his right arm to pull out the sword from Hatame as if he had accidentally threw his sword and was retrieving it from a stone wall.

His opponent stuttered, trying to comprehend the situation, the pain in his chest, and began to slowly slump. Before he fell, Zoro broke his fall with his right leg by raising it to the side.

He stared at Hatame, and let him drop gently. His intent wasn't to kill, it was to win. As a plus, he might get information.

"Uma Flond… How powerful is she?" asked Zoro

Hatame was wheezing on the ground, his face turned away from the man who was more powerful and conceded victory. "You want to fight her? Ha- Hugh!" He felt a jolt of pain from laughing and decided to control himself from then on.

"She, She is rivaled to Mihawk! There's no way a swordsman… such as yourself… could match her power!" he declared. Zoro looked up to the giant sword, his sight slightly blurred by the bright sun. "So do I go up there to fight her?" Zoro asked.

"It's been so long that she has had to come down and fight… A fighter who could beat the white blades… she is probably resting right now"

Zoro sighed, so he would have to go and ask for the blade of Haro.

He turned to the entrance of the arena and began walking. Hatame heard his steps move and he looked up in shock. "Hey! What are you doing? You couldn't be serious about fighting her right?"

Zoro didn't stop to face him; he only continued to walk.

"Of course I was kidding. I need to be in top condition if I'm going to fight someone like her. First I'll grab something to eat, THEN I'll go up there and challenge her" he said

(POV Shift)

"And what type of people is he interested in? Does he really fight like a demon?" Asked Katala.

Robin raised her hand to stop her, they were being blocked. Before them was the top floor of the giant sword. There was no more stairs to go up and before them was two very fortified doors that were guarded by a single soldier. This one had full body armor, covering his entire body so that you couldn't identify their age, race, or anything about them. The color of the armor was red, bright red. They had a helmet that had had only a line of glass so that they could see, and the glass was tinted black.

"Zoro usually isn't interested in other people unless they are Hawkeye Mihawk, or someone honorable. And he fights like a demon when he puts on a bandanna that makes his eyes far more intimidating"

Robin began walking toward the doors when Katala placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You aren't supposed to go there" she said it with such a monotone voice it was more than enough to show that all giddiness about Zoro had left her conscious.

Robin sighed; she hadn't really wanted to fight right at the entrance of Uma Flond, but what choice was left. She took hold of Katala's hand that rested on her, and with speed twisted her arm so that she faced her and called forth her powers to pin her down. Katala wasn't going to go down that quickly though, she immediately tightened her grip on Robin and pulled herself forward to knee her in the gut. Robin was left with no air, and some of the arms dispersed. She began to summon more when Katala swiftly swung her leg up and attempted a kick. An arm blocked the hit and this time Katala jumped forward with only one leg and threw a left slug. It hit home, but because of it, she was about to be encased with arms. Before that Katala grabbed on to Robin so that she was in close range, but trapped. Robin was just about to use her signature move clutch when Katala slammed her head into Robin's disorienting her from the action. The arms held on, but again, Katala pulled her head back and struck Robin with her forehead. The second time Robin had an instant of blurry vision, but she regained focus and grabbed onto Katala with her own arms instead of summoning up new ones.

"Clutch!" announced Robin as the sickening sound of a cracking neck bursted in the room. Katala's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground with a thud as the arms disappeared. Robin took in a breath. Katala was not someone who was helpless, that was clear now.

She looked ahead to the guard who stood before the doors. 'Zoro would probably be heading up here now. I need to speed up this process… but this opponent doesn't have any weak points. I'll have to only aim at the joint points and hope for the bes-' Robin was struck in the back of the head such extreme force, it hurt so bad and now it was three times that her head had been knocked on so forcefully. She dropped to the ground and looked behind her.

Katala jumped forward and placed her hands on Robin's head and twisted her arms.

"Clutch!" she announced just as Robin had.

Robin couldn't form any thoughts as she dropped to the ground and fell unconscious. Katala smirked as she looked at Robin. "I knew about your Devil fruit powers, but you didn't know about my Wake-Wake powers. It helps a lot whenever I am about to lose since I can just jump right back up! But I have to use it before I fall asleep or else nothing happens, and also it hurts a lot if I force it too many times…" she slowly stopped her rant about how special she was and looked around. She was alone again. She sighed, nobody in this dammed palace ever talked to her, it was infuriating. And today not only did someone come in and talk, it was someone who knew a lot about that super cool pirate Roronora Zoro! She so badly wanted to meet him, but how would she find him. There was no doubt in her mind that Zoro defeated that band of White blades, but now there was no telling where he was!

She looked back to Robin, and an idea formed in her mind "Okay Miss Nico, time for you to play bait!" she said as she picked up the Straw Hat pirate and ran back down the stairs.

The only thing left before the doors was the red armored soldier that stood post. They had witnessed the whole thing, and yet, didn't move a muscle the entire time.

'Katala had it under wraps the whole time… I'm glad I didn't have to interfere and get yelled at for assisting her' they thought

AN: Thank you guest who posted "Updaaaaate!"

Even thought I have no clue as to who you are, it gave me a will to finish up this chapter that I had been working on for a while now. I really needed that, thank you.

And now I should go over the future of this thing. I know that this is a story, and it needs attention from me otherwise it won't finish. But… I'm starting to stray away from the ZoroxRobin pairing and am beginning to lean for another one.

I promise you that I will finish this fanfic, but please know that the reason why I'm not all "Go!" for the story anymore is because it just doesn't have as much value as it did to me back then. So all the reviews help, and who knows? Maybe I'll get some passion for this pairing again if you guys show that I'm doing a good job displaying their relationship.


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